


Keep On Loving You

by Varia (Janie94)



Category: Bollywood Movies, Student of the Year (2012)
Genre: Canon Compliant, First Kiss, Heartache, M/M, Polyamory, Post-Canon Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 21:49:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11472363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janie94/pseuds/Varia
Summary: It had been ten years since Rohan and Abhi fell out, but there was still unfinished business between them. It was time that Shanaya finally found out the truth about their feelings for each other.





	Keep On Loving You

**Author's Note:**

> So, my two week old computer has died yesterday and my battered and bruised laptop is the only electronic device keeping me connected with the world right now. Therefore writing is a rather hard task at the moment and this story is something I have written 'in between' the last few days (lunch breaks mostly).
> 
> I was watching the Hindi movie 'Student of the Year' with one of my friends for the first time in almost two years and I just had to write something about these amazing characters. For those who have not seen the movie yet (though I absolutely recommend watching it in Hindi with English subtitles!): Rohan (played by my favorite actor Varun Dhawan if someone wants to google the cast) and Shanaya (Alia Bhatt) have been childhood friends and used to be in a relationship until the new student Abhimanyu (Sidharth Malhotra) arrived on the scene. After somewhat of a rocky start Rohan and Abhi became best friends, but then Abhi and Shanaya fell in love with each other and as you can probably guess Rohan was hurt and heartbroken. Abhi and Shanaya got married but didn't see Rohan until their principal's death ten years later where Rohan and Abhi finally reconciled after a fight.  
> The movie is absolutely wonderful and you should watch it for Varun's and Sid's amazing chemistry together, but it left me and my friend feeling sad because Rohan still ended up alone. This is the ending he truly deserved.
> 
> I know this fandom doesn't get much feedback, so I won't expect much, but it would make my day if somebody left kudos and/or comments. :-)

 

 

**Keep On Loving You**

 

 

Rohan was still sitting on a chair on the corridor one hour after he and his former college friends had bid their goodbyes to their deceased dean. A strange silence had settled over them all and barely anyone had said a word since then even though most of them hadn’t seen each other in ten years.

Shanaya was sitting next to him and watching him carefully. “You should go see a doctor, Rohan. You have several bruises.”

Rohan smiled at the reminder of his earlier fist fight with Abhi, the man who had been his best friend ten years ago and was Shanaya’s husband now.

“I’m fine,” he tried to calm her and his eyes traveled to Abhi who was quietly talking to Shah, their former sports coach and the dean’s only friend left by the time of his death.

Abhi looked just as handsome as Rohan had remembered him though his features were manlier now than they had been ten years ago. Rohan had thought he was over his feelings for the other man, but the moment he had seen Abhi and Shanaya step out of the elevator, he had realized he had been wrong.

Shanaya touching his arm softly startled him out of his thoughts.

“I’m glad that you finally reconciled with him, I am. But why did it have to take ten years? All this time lost just because of that stupid competition, all because of your pride.”

“The competition isn’t the only reason why I walked out of your life,” Rohan said without averting his eyes from Abhi’s back.

Shanaya frowned. “So I am the reason? I know we hurt you, but I swear that was never my intention. I didn’t mean to fall in love with Abhi.”

Rohan forced a little smile onto his face and took her hand between his palms before finally turning to meet her gaze. “I believe you, Shanaya. But nevertheless you and Abhi hurt me even if you didn’t mean to. When I saw the two of you kissing, I felt so betrayed. By both of you.”

She dropped her gaze, biting her lip with visible guilt. “I know. And I’m sorry.”

“But I wasn’t angry with you, not really,” Rohan added. “You know I wasn’t a saint either. I hurt you by flirting with a lot of girls as well.”

“Yes, you did but that’s not the same as actually kissing somebody else.”

“You’re right, it’s not,” Rohan agreed with a sad smile. “You two broke my heart that day. But I can’t blame you for falling in love with Abhi.”

For a moment they only stared at each other; Shanaya waiting for him to explain and Rohan waiting for her to finally understand.

After several long seconds her eyes widened in realization. “Hold on, are you saying that you were…?”

Rohan’s smile became warmer and he tightened his grip around her hand. “I fell in love with him even before you did.” He had been sure that she wouldn’t believe him right away, but apparently he had been more obvious than he thought because she didn’t try to argue with him. Instead she raised her free hand to his cheek and stroked it tenderly.

“Tell me, Rohan. Tell me everything.”

 

***

 

_If he wasn’t this drunk, Rohan would perhaps wonder why he kept rolling over in his bed until he was pressed tightly against Abhi’s back. They both had just come back from that party in the club and driving around with Rohan’s car. He had eventually ended up drinking way too much alcohol to keep on driving and almost fell asleep on the hood, but his new best friend had taken care of him._

_Rohan only remembered that Abhi had carried him in his arms to the passenger’s seat and then he must have fallen asleep leaning against the latter’s shoulder. Because when he had woken up next, he had found himself lying in his own bed with his friend asleep next to him, both of them only wearing their underwear._

_It made sense that Abhi was staying for the rest of the night, but Rohan still was pleasantly surprised to see him lying right next to him and he felt the sudden urge to turn the other boy around so he would get a better look at his face._

_Rohan had wondered why he wasn’t able to love Shanaya in the way she clearly deserved it even though he truly cared about her. They had been childhood friends and had a unique understanding because of that, but she had never been enough for him. And they had both known that but not the reason for it._

_Not until Abhimanyu Singh had entered their lives._

_Carefully Rohan reached out and touched his friend’s shoulder to turn him around but froze when he saw that the latter was not asleep. His eyes were meeting Rohan’s thoughtfully but he didn’t say anything._

_Of course not, he had never been a man of many words._

_Rohan smiled sheepishly. “Thank you for taking care of me and bringing me back home. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”_

“ _It’s alright,” Abhi replied with a shrug. “That’s what friends are for.”_

_Rohan didn’t reply but took in Abhi’s features, his disheveled hair and the soft expression in his tired eyes._

_Those eyes had always been Rohan’s weakness._

_They had always been strangely distant, lonely even and Rohan only ever wanted to make the sadness go away by taking him into his arms and never letting go again. Which was why he would always end up hugging Abhi just to see the warmth in his eyes whenever he pulled back eventually._

_He must have been staring intensely into his friend’s eyes for quite a while because Abhi raised his eyebrow amusedly. “You’re not going to kiss me, right?”_

_He had asked this question many times before whenever Rohan had been staring at him for too long and usually the latter would chuckle before going in for a hug but not this time. Because Rohan had enough of hiding his true feelings. He had never been able to be himself around his parents who belittled him for his dream to become a musician instead of becoming a rich and powerful businessman like his father. Not around his friends who only seemed to spend time with him because of his family name and his money. Not even around Shanaya who he liked as a friend but could never love the way she wanted him to._

_The only one who he felt comfortable with enough to drop his façade of the cool macho, was Abhi. He was the only one who had got to see the real Rohan even though they had only come to know each other recently._

_He had seen beyond the illusion Rohan had created, he had seen the doubts and insecurities constantly nagging at his heart and never once thought any less of him. There was only one secret Rohan had kept from him, something he could barely acknowledge himself. And he wanted to finally share it with his friend, hoping it wouldn’t destroy their precious friendship forever._

“ _Rohan?” Abhi asked worried, the silence clearly upsetting him._

_And before he could lose his courage Rohan surged forward, crushing his lips hard against those of the other man. Abhi gasped in surprise, his hand instinctively coming up to touch his face. Rohan pressed himself closer, hyper aware of every pint where their bodies were touching and he could feel the warmth of Abhi’s skin seep into him._

_But then the latter pushed against his chest until they broke apart, his eyes wary. “Why did you do that?”_

“ _Because I love you, Abhi,” Rohan responded with conviction and though a part of him was absolutely terrified of the reaction, it felt liberating to finally say out loud what he had been denying for so long._

_Abhi stared at him with wide eyes for a long moment that felt like an eternity. Then he frowned. “Is this about what you told me yesterday? That you’re confused about love? I thought you were joking when I asked you if you were gay and you said yes.”_

“ _I was joking,” Rohan admitted with a sigh. “But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t the truth. Or at least a part of it.”_

“ _And what is the whole truth?”_

_This time Rohan didn’t hesitate. Once again he leaned forward, slow enough to give his friend time to stop him should he mind. But Abhi didn’t move away, instead he closed his eyes when Rohan’s lips touched his own._

_There was a moment where both of them didn’t move, neither of them trying to break down that last barrier and taking things further, but then Rohan opened his mouth to deepen the kiss and that was the moment they lost themselves in each other._

_Abhi gasped and all of a sudden their kiss turned more passionate, their tongues curiously dancing around each other while Rohan’s hand gripped the back of Abhi’s neck to press him closer while the latter gripped his hips tightly._

_Rohan felt like his heart was going to burst from happiness, at finally being able to show his true feelings and not having to hide anymore._

_But just when he started to tug at his friend’s shirt, Abhi pushed away. “Hold on, Rohan.” But he wasn’t listening, his lips chasing those of other man._

“ _I want you, Abhi,” he whispered before starting to kiss down Abhi’s throat._

“ _Rohan, please stop!” Abhi said, louder this time and with more urgency._

_Rohan pulled back to look at him, his hand dropping to rest on Abhi’s legs. “What’s wrong? You want this too, I could feel it in the way you kissed me.”_

_Abhi shook his head “No, Rohan, I can’t do this. I just can’t.”_

_Rohan felt the disappointment burn in his heart like acid as he realized that he had been wrong. Abhi didn’t feel the same for him, he didn’t want more than friendship._

_He took a deep breath to hold back the tears burning in his eyes, his voice surprisingly steady when he replied, “You’re right, Abhi. I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me. Let’s just blame it on the alcohol.”_

_His surrender seemed to throw Abhi off a bit, but he eventually nodded. “Let’s go back to sleep. Tomorrow you will maybe even laugh about it.”_

“ _Yeah, maybe,” Rohan said before lying back down on the bed and turning away from the man he had fallen in love with. After a moment he felt Abhi’s arms coming around his waist and despite his broken heart Rohan had to smile. He relaxed into the embrace and only when the even breathing and soft snores told him that Abhi had finally drifted off, did Rohan allow his tears to fall…_

 

***

 

Only when Rohan had finished telling his tale did he dare to meet Shanaya's gaze again. She looked shaken, her eyes red as she tried to hold back the tears. “I’m so sorry, Rohan. I didn’t know you had feelings for him too.”

Before he could respond, she threw her arms around him, sobs wrecking her body. “I ruined everything. Not just for you but for Abhi too.”

Rohan frowned, puzzled by her cryptic statement. “What are you talking about?”

She pulled back to look at him. “Because he loves you too.”

“No, he doesn’t. I wish it was that way but he loves only you, Shanaya.”

“I know that he does and I love him too,” she replied instantly. “But all these years I felt like I never was enough. I knew he missed you, Rohan, but until you told meI thought he merely missed his best friend. Now I know that his feelings go much deeper than that.”

Rohan shook his head, trying to fight against the growing hope in his heart. “That night he told me he couldn’t do this. He couldn’t imagine becoming my boyfriend, it doesn’t get much clearer than that.”

To his utter surprise Shanaya leaped up from her seat, her expression torn between anger and impatience. “Rohan Nanda, you’re the biggest fool I have ever met!” The entire corridor had fallen silent at her outburst, but Shanaya didn’t seem to care, not even when a confused Abhi approached her from the side. “Did it ever occur to you that he reacted that way because of me? That Abhi rejected you because at that time I was still your girlfriend and he didn’t want to ruin our relationship?”

Rohan froze when he remembered that Abhi had initially returned the kiss which made awfully much sense now.

Abhi was looking between them with panic. “Shanaya, I didn’t mean to-”

“And you are no better!” she interrupted him. “Instead of talking to one of us, you tried to lock your feelings away. Why did you never say anything?”

“Because I felt guilty for taking you away from him!” Abhi retorted. “I had lost the right to call myself his friend the moment I kissed you!”

“And instead of apologizing to him, you thought it would be better to leave him?” Shanaya shot back enraged.

Abhi opened his mouth to argue, but Rohan stepped between the fighting couple. “Enough! Has one of you cared to ask me how I feel about this?” Without waiting for an answer, he turned to Abhi. “Yes, you hurt me and you betrayed me! But what hurt the most was that you left me all alone. I was the only one who had the right to send you away.”

Abhi frowned. “What difference does it make whether you sent me away or I walked away first?”

“You’re not listening to me, Abhi. I said I had the right, but I never said I would have done it.”

Abhi looked at him disbelievingly. “Do you seriously want to tell me you would have been able to forgive us?”

“Yes, I would have!” Rohan shouted, furious with his friend for all these years that had been wasted. “I was angry and felt betrayed, but in time I would have forgiven you. And you know why? Because I loved you, Abhimanyu Singh. And I still do.”

He could see various emotions cross Abhi’s face. Shock, hope, yearning and regret. “You truly meant what you said that night, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did,” Rohan replied with conviction. “Why would you think otherwise?”

“Because you were drunk and you had said that you were confused about love. I thought you were just experimenting with your sexuality.”

Rohan felt torn between laughing at his friend and hitting him again, but to his own surprise he grabbed Abhi by his coat and pulled him forward, crushing their lips together in a hard and bruising kiss.

Abhi let out surprised gasp that turned into a loud moan when Rohan pressed closer, his tongue evading Abhi’s mouth without mercy, his teeth scraping over the latter’s bottom lip. It was a kiss full of pent-up emotions, of all the love they had suppressed for way too long.

When they eventually broke apart, Rohan felt like the weight of all the loneliness and heartache he had carried in his heart, was suddenly easier to bear.

He turned to Shanaya at the same time that Abhi did, both men anxiously awaiting her reaction. They would have understood if she was angry or hurt, but that was not the case. Instead she was smiling with tears in her eyes. Carefully Abhi reached out for her, pulling her into a one-sided hug while Rohan stroked her head tenderly.

She pushed her head into her husband’s chest, but her words were intended for both of them. “You have no idea how happy I am. It has always felt like something was missing without you, Rohan.”

Abhi looked between her and Rohan before adding, “She is right. You complete us and we are not going to let you go again.”

Rohan smiled, pressing himself against Abhi as well while putting a kiss to Shanaya’s forehead. “I won’t leave the two of you again, I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback would be highly appreciated!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [i'll be in the middle](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15943502) by [hamilton_taylorklaine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hamilton_taylorklaine/pseuds/hamilton_taylorklaine)




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